7. The Camden Catacombs are a series of flooded underground vaults running directly underneath today’s West Coast Main Line. Originally, the incline of the hill up from Euston was too steep for steam engines to haul up heavy loads, so a rope running all the way from Euston to the Roundhouse turning shed was used to help, with the winding machinery housed in these amazing underground constructions.
8. Dead Dog Hole and a deep storage facility for imported Norwegian ice are among the area’s other buried industrial treasures. The ‘hole’ is actually a basin directly beneath the huge canal-side Interchange building, where cargo was once winched up from the barges below. Plans for its opening to the public have been mooted for years, but so far have come to nothing. Meanwhile, this April the Tomb Raider Live Experience opens up in yet more underground vaults right at the centre of North Yard.
9. Camden was once the global centre for gin. W&A Gilbey Ltd had a huge distillery and many bonded warehouses across the Camden Goods Yard area, shipping crated of the strong stuff worldwide. They even took over the Roundhouse after its days as a railway shed were over, using it as a secure warehouse for nearly 100 years. Today you can find Half Hitch, a micro distillery inspired by this long boozy history over in Camden’s West Yard.
10. Beyond the Roundhouse lies the source of all the earth that raised Camden Goods Yard. We recently covered the former tourist attraction of Primrose Hill Portals, which are well worth a visit. In fact, you can discover loads more about the hidden railway treasures of Camden by following this history walk. Have fun exploring.